The Sandbox
by Olivia Wren
Summary: Warlords, admirals, and a bunch of squirts. Really, what could go wrong?
1. Garp Goes to Daycare

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or the characters, those belong solely to the beautiful brain of Eiichiro Oda. The only thing that can be credited to me is the idea for this story.

**A/N: **This story was inspired by the fantastic artists on twitter who post images under the hashtag: ワンピース保育園 (AKA, Japanese for "One Piece Nursery"). I highly recommend you search that hashtag and revel in the glory they have created!

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"Welcome to The Sandbox, how can—What the hell are you doing here?"

The door thunked shut behind him and Garp grinned, white teeth flashing like a beacon from the middle of his dark beard. The indirect light from the midday sun cast his shadow softly into the room, framing his arm as he gestured vaguely at the interior, "I heard you had started a daycare, but I had to see it to believe it." His eyes were twinkling just as brightly as his mischievous smile.

The ceiling fan _thwump_ed lazily, the air current feathering cigar smoke slowly across his face as he stared silently at the marine. Office chair creaking, he leaned back a bit further to look behind the man as he heard scuffling and immediately said, "Hell no."

Garp burst into laughter, one hand slapping at his thigh, "Oh come on, they're not _that_ bad." He reached his other hand behind his back and shoved a tangled mass of boys across the yellowing linoleum and toward the chipped desk. One of them tripped over his flip-flops and collapsed on his back, his hand flying to stop his straw hat from rolling under the desk. Having secured it to his shaggy black hair, his eyes rolled to look upside down at the face staring at him from over the desk.

He immediately fixated on where the towering man's hands were planted on the fading wood for support and he exclaimed, "YOU HAVE A HOOK FOR A HAND! THAT'S SO COOL!"

Crocodile watched as the boy scrambled to his feet and scampered closer to the desk, a thin layer of dirt making the back of his teal tank top look washed out. His flip-flops slapped the linoleum in a quick tattoo, the echoes from the bare room serving only to magnify how small he was in comparison to the space. The kid tugged his hat absently so it was sitting more securely on his head, then abruptly grabbed at the edge of the desk and pulled himself up to get a better look.

"Luffy!"

The straw-hatted squirt turned to look behind him, "Ace! Do you see his hook? It's so cool, it's like he's a pirate!" He quickly turned sparkling eyes back to Crocodile's face and asked excitedly, "Are you a pirate?"

Crocodile exhaled a cloud of cigar smoke straight into his face, causing the squirt's dark eyes to water. His little hands released the desk as he started coughing. Crocodile's gaze lifted back to Garp as he said flatly, "No."

"Aww, you're not?" Luffy muttered, rubbing the smoke-induced tears from his eyes. His arms pinwheeled as the other dark-haired boy reached forward and snagged the collar of his tank top, dragging Luffy back toward him. The older boy scowled fiercely at Crocodile but said nothing, merely pushing Luffy between him and the blond and then crossing his arms over his shockingly orange tank top.

Crocodile kept his gaze trained on Garp's wicked smile, then sighed and pulled his chair forward to sit down again. He kicked his feet back up on the corner of the desk, crossing them at the ankles, "I'm not taking them, Garp." Crocodile paid little attention to it when the blond boy stuck his tongue out at him, and Garp merely hit him on the top of the head reflexively as he replied without missing a beat, "Come on, Crocodile. I just need you to watch them for today. I've got an important meeting to go to and their usual sitter canceled."

Crocodile leaned back in his chair and placed his hands on his stomach, fingers laced around his hook across his orange and black striped shirt. He turned his face to the ceiling and closed his eyes, sighing out another cloud of smoke, "No."

Garp grimaced and grumbled under his breath, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. As he did so, Luffy managed to break away from his guards and scrambled on top of the desk in a heartbeat. He ignored the hissed "_Luffy!_" from behind him and scooted until his feet were dangling over the edge of the desk toward Crocodile. The man peaked an eye open as the boy asked, "So if you're not a pirate, why do you have a hook for a hand?"

He shut his eye again, "I never said I wasn't a pirate."

"Yeah you did."

Crocodile opened his eyes and glanced briefly at the other dark-haired boy, only to find the brat had upgraded from scowling to glaring. He had quite the fierce glare for being such a shorty.

The boy opened his mouth to continue, but stopped when he heard Garp snap his fingers. Three pairs of eyes turned to look at Garp (Luffy was still staring intently at Crocodile's hook) as the marine exclaimed, "Ha! What if I sweeten the deal?"

Crocodile eyed the grinning marine.

Garp tugged at the edges of his black suit, straightening the fabric as he said smugly, "If you watch them during my meeting then I'll get those plans you were asking for."

Crocodile's shoes tapped on the peeling linoleum as he lowered them and leaned forward to set his elbows on the desk beside Luffy, linking his fingers around his hook in front of his mouth. His lip curled at the look on Garp's face, his instincts warning that there was a catch, but—

"Fine."

Garp's grin widened, "Excellent! Then I'll be back for them at 5." His eyes dropped to the two boys in front of him and he knocked them both on the head swiftly, eliciting yelps from them both.

The dark-haired one glared up at him, "What the hell was that for, geezer?"

Garp waggled a finger, "I want you to behave, Ace! You and Sabo both!" His eyes flicked to the blond warningly then back up as he opened his mouth to threaten Luffy too because he knew the boy would never… He blinked.

He felt his mouth hang open for a moment, and then his chest heaved in the beginnings of what turned out to be roaring laughter. Tears streaming from his eyes, Garp turned and pushed the door open, shouting over his shoulder, "Good luck!"

Ace and Sabo turned to look at Crocodile and stared. Sabo was the first to crack, his hesitant chuckles devolving into full-blown cackling as he gripped his stomach and pointed. Ace was trying to keep his glare going, but he couldn't resist a couple of snickers, which led quickly into laughter hard enough that he braced a hand against Sabo's shoulder to help hold himself up.

Crocodile stared at the doorway with a grimace, view partially blocked by the small grasping fingers wrapped around his head and slapped over his face. His faint reflection in the glass door revealed the brim of a straw hat skewed strangely on the top of his head, and then there was a pair of eyes underneath them as he felt the boy tug himself a little higher to peek over the top of his head at the doorway. Seeing that Garp was gone, he loosened his legs from their chokehold around Crocodile's throat and planted his sandalled feet on the man's shoulders. Crocodile could feel the boy pushing through his toes, flip-flops almost slipping from their perch on the satin, as he leaned over Crocodile's own head to come face-to-upside-down-face with the man and ask again, "So are you a pirate?"

Crocodile stared at the boy's bobbing head, gaze pulled along the strangely elongated neck (ah, the catch) and he sighed out a cloud of cigar smoke to the side of Luffy's face. Lifting his hook over his head—Luffy's eyes following it in awe the whole time—he snagged the back of the kid's shirt and lifted him forward to stare at him contemplatively. The other two boys tensed as he stood, their laughter silenced abruptly as they eyed him, eyes flicking between his face and their little brother dangling from his hand.

Crocodile turned and walked away, wing-tipped shoes clicking as he made his way toward the back of the room. Luffy was reaching behind his back, trying to get a hold on the hook in his shirt, face twisted in puzzled concentration.

A sharp, angry call burst from behind him, "Where are you taking Luffy?"

When he didn't answer and didn't stop, the quick patter of feet announced the boys' attack. They leaped at his legs, determined to halt his progress, and uttered surprised shouts when they passed right through a cloud of sand and landed on the floor at his feet, right in front of the door in the back of the room. Crocodile halted, rolling his cigar between his teeth as he tilted his chin to glance down at the diminutive humans in his way.

"What the—" The blond stared at his solid-again legs, then lifted his eyes to Crocodile's scarred face and muttered, "You're a Devil Fruit user!" One hand fixing the skewed, ratty black top hat he was wearing, he used the other to prop himself up as his eyes lifted to where Luffy was hanging from Crocodile's hook and he… Sighed in exasperation. Ace was scrambling to his feet furiously, but Sabo merely shook his head and said, "Ace." When the boy glanced back at him, Sabo pointed up. As Ace's eyes rose, his face fell and he groaned, "_Luffy._"

Luffy had managed to get a grip on Crocodile's hook and had promptly freed his shirt so he could start swinging from the metal appendage like a monkey. Luffy grinned widely at Crocodile and asked, swaying back and forth, "So you're a pirate, right?"

Crocodile felt his brow twitch up and he grunted noncommittally, using his other hand to push open the heavy wooden door in front of him. All three boys turned toward the sudden sound of laughter coming from the back room.

"Mihawk."

At the sound of Crocodile calling his name, the only other adult in the room glanced up from where he was chatting with a dark-haired girl in the far corner, "Hm?"

Two strands of sand pushed lightly at Ace's and Sabo's backs, forcing them a few steps into the room, as a third strand plucked Luffy from his hook and set him gently in front of his brothers. "Three more."

Crocodile vanished as he let the door swing shut and Mihawk turned sharp yellow eyes to the newcomers curiously, his wine-dark pants a stark contrast against the bright yellow bench as he turned to face them fully. The girl sitting on the waist-height bookcase beside him watched them as well, blue-ringed eyes calm and amused. She flexed her bare feet on the back of the yellow bench and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees as she propped her chin in her hands and smiled.

Mihawk scanned the two older boys, then his gaze slid to the right as he tracked the one in the straw hat, who had taken one look around the room and shot off like a rocket.

"Luffy!"

"Lu!"

The older two trotted after him, but slowed to a walk and stopped to stand behind their brother as Luffy skidded to a halt next to Mihawk's son and said, "Hi! Want to be friends?"

Zoro continued to practice, his three swords swinging and hitting their targets unerringly as he slid his eyes to stare silently at Luffy. Little Luffy was giving him quite the winning smile beneath his straw hat.

Straw hat… He knew that hat, didn't he?

Mihawk felt his lips twitch.

Zoro's gaze flicked up, a vague frown on his face as he regarded Luffy's brothers scowling at him, although he noted with interest the blond one was watching his movements rather than his face. Zoro suddenly grinned around the hilt in his mouth and halted, breath heaving. Dropping the sword from his mouth and moving all three of them to one hand, he held out his free one and said, mischievous grin still on his face, "Sure, what's your name?"

Luffy slapped a hand into his, that wonderfully goofy grin still plastered on his face, "Monkey D. Luffy! I'm going to be King of the Pirates!

Mihawk felt another tug at his lips. It didn't help that Robin had started chuckling beside him.

Zoro grinned wider, "I'm Zoro! I'm going to be the greatest swordsman in the world!"

Luffy's older brothers groaned and Luffy simply chuckled, a cute "shishishi".

Watching the long-suffering expression on his older brothers' faces as Luffy and his son engaged animatedly, Mihawk couldn't quite stop the amused smirk from sliding across his face.

Satisfied that the three were going to be fine on their own, Mihawk turned back to continue telling Robin about the history of the island he currently called home, their words threaded through with amusement.


	2. The Danger of Referrals

**Disclaimer**: I do not own One Piece or the characters, those belong solely to the beautiful brain of Eiichiro Oda.

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"Welcome to—" He paused, then exhaled slowly and said, "What the hell do you want?"

He could hear the door thunk shut, though the pink-feathered coat blocked Crocodile's view. His teeth sank a bit further into his cigar at the infernal grin on the other man's face.

Crocodile watched the blond's head turn as he took in the bare white walls, ageing linoleum floors, and single chipped desk sitting in the middle of the room. Red flashed off his sunglasses as he raised his eyes to the ceiling, gazing at the slowly spinning fan in the center of the admittedly dusty rafters above them.

His head and eyes still pointing upward, his grin grew as he started moseying around the room, musing quietly, "So this is what you and Hawkeye have been up to." He swiveled his gaze to Crocodile as he walked around to sit on top of the desk to the right of Crocodile, one leg bent and resting on the beaten wood. Crocodile merely slid his gaze up and sideways, elbows planted on the desk, his body still facing the door.

Doflamingo leaned back to rest a hand on the desk, his red sleeve drinking in the meager evening sunlight streaming through the glass door and striping the desk with its shadow. He gestured at the room with his free hand as he chuckled and said with a slight lilt, "I like the name."

Crocodile's eyes slid back to watch the door and he exhaled again, the smoke hovering in a thin layer over the desk in the nearly non-existent breeze from the fan. "Why are you here? You don't have kids."

Doflamingo laughed slowly and turned his gaze to the door in the back of the room, "Oh, but I do. Some squirt tried to blow us up. A suicide bomber." His gaze didn't move from the back door, but Crocodile could tell the man's attention had shifted back to him as he continued, "Can you imagine?"

Crocodile could feel a sigh working its way out of his lungs. Yes, he could imagine. All too well, in fact. He could feel Doflamingo's amusement radiating off him like a bonfire.

Pink feathers _swish_ed pleasantly as Doflamingo raised both hands in the air and shrugged, the fire of his amusement dropping to something subtler, "I couldn't let potential like that go to waste, so we adopted the kid." He swayed to his feet and started walking back around the desk until he was standing right in Crocodile's line of sight, hands sliding nonchalantly into the pockets of his red suit pants. "Taking care of him wasn't much of an issue when we were on the ship, but I've been informed that boys should have friends their own age, especially now that we'll be settled in one place for some time. I disagreed, but…"

Crocodile felt a groan trying to attach to the sigh still fluttering around his lungs as Doflamingo paused, a grin slowly widening across his face.

"... I've been overruled."

* * *

Crocodile glanced up to stare at the shadows that had stopped in front of his door and he rolled his cigar between his teeth. He'd recognize that feathered silhouette anywhere. There seemed to be some discussion going on, then Doflamingo pushed on the door and walked in, holding it open for the figure behind him.

Unexpectedly, there was a second feathered silhouette, although this one remained dark even in the pre-dawn light. The figure only partially resolved as the man walked into the fluorescent light of The Sandbox, his raven-feathered coat varying between iridescence and muted shadows. Crocodile noted with curiosity that the second man was wearing a Navy uniform under the coat.

There was something white bobbing between Doflamingo and his coated twin and it took Crocodile a moment to realize that it was a child wearing a fluffy white hat with dark spots on it.

The boy looked unimpressed.

Crocodile was staring at Doflamingo's mild frown as the blond asked the other man, "He said it was called The Sandbox, didn't he?"

The second man looked around, his shaggy blond hair fluffed from the humidity outside, "Yeah, that was the name he gave me." His gaze suddenly landed on Crocodile's face and his eyes widened as his jaw dropped, releasing a cigarette that started falling slowly to the floor, "Wait, it's run by one of the Warlords? Why would Garp-san bring his grandkids here?!"

Crocodile's own eyes widened as the dark feathered coat abruptly caught fire where the cigarette landed on it. It shouldn't be that flammable, should it? Doflamingo merely grimaced and covered his face with one hand, letting the door swing shut as he said, "Oi, Corazon!"

The little boy's eyes widened as he turned to find smoke clouding his vision and he blurted with panic, "Cora-san!"

Corazon glanced down and his eyes widened further, "AH! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!" He patted frantically at the coat, the little boy rushing forward to help, but it only seemed to fan the flames higher. Doflamingo just stared at them both, brows furrowed with exasperation.

Corazon and the boy both stopped when a stream of sand shot forward and settled on the flaming parts of the coat, smoke trickling out from the edges as it suffocated the fire. The boy spun to follow the trail of sand back to Crocodile's outstretched arm and eyed him suspiciously.

Corazon just stared at Crocodile for a moment, then he gave him a wide, embarrassed smile and held his fingers up in a peace sign, "Thanks!"

Then he bent and scooped up the little boy and buried his face in his stomach, "Lawwww!"

"Cora-san! What are—" Law struggled to get out of the adult's arms, but Corazon simply hugged him all the tighter. His voice was still loud enough to be heard despite being muffled by Law's no-longer-tidy white shirt, "I wish I could take you to work, but you're going to have so much fun with the other kids!" He pulled his face back abruptly and held Law out in front of him, grinning as he said, "Make some new friends! I want to meet them when we come to pick you up!"

Crocodile didn't need to see Law's face to hear the annoyance in his voice, "Why do I have to go to daycare? I can just stay at the house and study if neither of you can take me to work."

Doflamingo's quiet grin returned as he glanced at Law and then back at Corazon, "See? That's what I said." His glasses flashed as he glanced briefly at Crocodile and chuckled.

Crocodile had to bite back a sigh.

"No, no, no!" Corazon wiggled Law as he continued to hold him in the air, "You've been picking up such bad habits by only spending time with us! You've got to make friends your own age and have fun playing with them!" He suddenly looked at Law with the second-biggest puppy-dog eyes Crocodile had ever seen (he had reason to know that little Straw Hat _definitely_ had bigger puppy-dog eyes) and said, "You'll make friends, right? For me? I want to meet them!"

Crocodile felt amusement curl in his chest at the way Law stilled, then loosed a mighty sigh for such a small body and said, "Put me down, Cora-san…" Corazon grinned widely and complied, patting Law's fuzzy hat as he did so. When his gaze turned back up to Crocodile, his smile softened but remained, "Can we pick him up at 3?"

Crocodile shrugged, "Sure. We're open until 7." He gestured with his hand behind him, "Robin's already in there, so you can take him back if you want."

Corazon's grin widened and he eagerly grabbed Law's hand and started skipping to the back door, "Come on, Law! We're going to meet your first friend!"

The back door shut and the front room was cast into peaceful silence. Crocodile sighed and sat back down. Doflamingo's gaze was still resting on the back door, his ever-present grin tinged with fondness. His glasses flashed as he tilted his head toward Crocodile, "They won't be back for a while. What do we need to fill out?"

Crocodile eyed the pink-feathered man as he set the paperwork and a pen on the desk.

Doflamingo's grin merely widened.


	3. The Great Escape

**Disclaimer: **I do not own One Piece or the characters, those belong solely to the beautiful brain of Eiichiro Oda.

**Warning:** Ace has some colorful language in this chapter.

* * *

_CRASH_

Crocodile felt another tic start in his forehead and he turned to look behind him.

"_Ace_. What are you doing?"

The dark-haired boy shot him a glare, "We're training, dumbass. What does it look like?" He swung his pipe at Sabo, who leapt out of the way with a grin, leaving Ace's pipe to smack into the bookcase behind him and break one of the shelves.

Sabo landed and started swinging his own pipe, but his eyes suddenly widened and he paused, then started scrambling backward. Ace stared at him in confusion for a moment and then he was being lifted from the ground, his arms and chest wrapped in the same sand that was also hurtling toward the fleeing Sabo.

Crocodile lifted the two boys into the air, immobilizing their limbs as they tried to hit him. Sabo tried to swing his pipe at Crocodile's head, but it just passed through sand instead. Crocodile snatched the metal from the blond's grip, then grabbed Ace's pipe too and tucked them both in the crook of his hooked arm, well out of their reach.

Luffy leapt up from where he'd been playing with Zoro and shouted, "Ace! Sabo! Let them go!" He wound his arm up and tried to throw a punch at Crocodile, but his fist bounced off the floor behind him and went up.

Right through the ceiling tiles.

Crocodile's teeth snapped together, biting through the end of his cigar. Spitting the piece in his mouth out to join the other half already falling to the floor, he took two steps forward and bent to fist his hand in the back of Luffy's shirt, lifting him into the air as well.

"Luffy!"

"Lu!"

"You leave him alone!" Ace tried kicking his feet, but his legs were encased in sand down to his knees and he couldn't move them very far. Realizing he wasn't going to get free anytime soon, he shot Crocodile his fiercest glare and shouted, "Don't you dare touch Luffy!"

Crocodile just growled under his breath and turned toward the door to the front room, Luffy dangling from his grasp as he dragged Ace and Sabo through the air behind him like sand mummies.

He let the heavy wooden door slam shut and then dumped all three boys in a heap on the yellowing tiles. Ace immediately scrambled to his feet and stood between Crocodile and Luffy, his small fists raising into a defensive position. Sabo crouched behind him and scanned the unharmed Luffy quickly before he turned back to give Crocodile a puzzled frown.

Crocodile stared at the three troublemakers, jaw clenched. He grabbed the pipes with his now-free hand and they began to disintegrate as he ground out, "You can't swing these around in my daycare."

"Hey!" Ace glared indignantly at the sand pouring to the ground from their vanishing pipes, then he raised an arm to point an accusing finger at Crocodile, "You asshole! Those were _ours_!" His brows narrowed further and he squinted at the man towering over him as he bit out, "If you're just going to toss us around then we're just going to leave."

Crocodile snorted and turned away from them, heading for his desk. He waved a hand idly in the air, "Then leave. You three are a thorn in my side."

Ace frowned at his back, mind whirling behind his eyes. Sabo stood up, that puzzled frown still on his face, and asked, "Don't you have to keep us here?"

Crocodile turned to scoff at them, "Are you kidding me? Garp never signed any paperwork. I have no obligation to take care of you." The corners of his lips twisted down and he half-muttered, "He keeps bringing you here like I'll watch you for free and it's getting on my nerves." His eyes flicked from one to the other until they settled on Sabo, "You're free to leave whenever you want."

The man dropped into his desk chair with a grunt and leaned back, kicking his feet up on the wood. Lighting another cigar, he promptly flipped open the newspaper and ignored them all.

Ace glanced back at Sabo and then they both looked at Luffy, who was frowning at Crocodile's back.

The older brothers met eyes again and shared a wicked grin.

* * *

"Zoro! Come on!"

Zoro stared at the fingers wrapped around his wrist with a faint frown. His eyes traveled along the elongated arm as Luffy ran past him and tugged, pulling Zoro into a jog just behind him. Zoro let his practice sword drop from his mouth and held all three in his free hand as he asked, "Where are we going?"

Luffy grinned and chuckled, pointing at the windowsill his brothers were crouched on, "On an adventure!"

There was a muffled thump and then they heard from behind them, "I'm coming."

Luffy and Zoro both glanced back to find the sulky new kid walking forward. He'd spent the entire day holed up by the bookshelf, reading through books almost as fast as Robin usually did. Unfortunately, all the ones in the daycare were children's books and he'd gone through them in just under an hour, which left him frowning at the rest of the kids for most of the day. Robin had finally handed him her book, some fat one Mihawk had said was a compend-something on the history of some island or other and had told Zoro to give to her.

The boy had been absorbed in it since, but now he was setting the book carefully on the table next to Robin as he walked toward them with a frown, "I don't want to be stuck here."

Luffy blinked at him, then smiled and said, "Come on!"

"Hm?" Robin had been watching them, chin propped in her hand. Luffy turned to her at the questioning hum and she asked curiously, "Are you all leaving?" Her eyes flicked to Ace and Sabo and she called toward them, "Do you know where you're going?"

"Anywhere…" Ace grumbled from where he was still fighting with the hinges on the window. Had the things never been oiled? He grimaced and pulled harder until it creaked horrendously and popped open and he finished with satisfaction, "… But here!"

Robin hummed a moment longer, blue eyes scanning them all, and then she smiled and stood with a chuckle, "I'm coming too."

"Huh?" Ace turned to look below him where Sabo was standing, only to find that three other people had already adhered to Luffy. How did his little brother always manage that? He let loose a sigh and was about to say something, but then he caught Sabo's eyes and the blond just grinned and shrugged with a shake of his head.

"Wait, don't leave me alone here! I'm coming too!"

Zoro rolled his eyes and turned, crossing his arms over his green t-shirt, "We don't need _you_."

Perona pouted and grabbed her brother's cheek, black-and-white striped sleeve making her arm look longer than it really was. She jerked his cheek back and forth and squinted at Zoro, "Yeah? And what would dad say if you got lost, stupid?"

He smacked her hand away as he blushed, "Shut _up_!" He turned back toward the window, leaning his practice swords against the wall as he clambered up and muttered under his breath, "I do _not_ get lost!"

She grinned smugly at his back and crossed her arms triumphantly, but didn't reply.

Ace rolled his eyes and placed a foot on the window sill, turning to shout back at his brothers, "Let's go already!"

* * *

"Hey, where are we going?"

Ace's mouth quirked to the side and his eyes slid to glare at the pink-haired girl, "_We_ are not going anywhere." He absently shoved some adult's leg out of the way as he walked forward, ignoring the woman's protests as he stuck his tongue out at Perona, "Me, Sabo, and Luffy are going to go find food and none of the rest of you are coming."

The girl rolled those dark eyes at him and heaved a sigh, "Honestly, are you _all_ a bunch of idiots? It's Sabo, Luffy, and _I_."

Sabo laughed and Ace found himself snapping, "Who cares, ghost girl?!" She scoffed at him and he stopped and turned to face her fully, but his eyes were pulled away as Luffy dashed past him with a shout of "FOOD!"

Ace had hoped to lose the other children in the midday crowd on Main Street, but Luffy had unwittingly ruined those plans. The younger boy kept dashing from one side of the street to the other to look at things and it had slowed them down enough that everyone else was able to easily keep up. Robin and Zoro weren't so bad, they stayed pretty quiet, but Perona just would _not_ leave him alone.

But if Luffy got into food here then they'd get tied up with evading their victims for the rest of the day and they wouldn't be able to get the _good_ stuff further into town. Ace spun to give chase to his little brother, but Sabo was faster and had grabbed the back of Luffy's orange tank top before he'd gone more than a few steps.

"Wait, Lu!"

Luffy closed his eyes and continued to lean forward, legs churning as he tried to keep going, "But Sabooo! I'm hungryyyy!"

Ace eyed what Luffy was aimed at and felt a grin sliding across his face. This part of the street was an almost-unbroken line of the typical peddlers selling clothes and rugs, but there was the occasional food stall scattered throughout to make full use of hungry shoppers. This was the first one they'd seen so far and, raising his nose and sniffing, Ace could confirm that the food smelled as good as it looked. His mouth watered. The good stuff downtown could wait for another day, right? Because _this_ stuff smelled pretty good.

Sabo felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to find Ace raising his eyebrows, a grin on his face as he jerked his chin at the vendor Luffy was aimed at. Sabo scanned it quickly—one guy, no guards, a little bit of space on either side of the wooden structure because the clothing vendors didn't want juices to splatter on their wares. Not a bad target. He grinned back at Ace in agreement before turning to Luffy, "Okay, okay, Lu, you can go eat!"

He released his hold on the orange fabric and Luffy shot forward like a bullet with a gleeful "YAYYY!", both arms stretching out to snatch the wooden skewers of meat right off the grill. He bit into one of the pieces of boar and immediately shrieked around the food, complaining that it was too hot yet chewing on it anyway.

The stall owner squawked and scrambled out from behind the counter, wiping his bloody hands quickly on his apron, leaving faint red streaks across the cream fabric. His pale face reddened as Luffy grabbed his third and fourth skewers and started munching on those as well. The man's wilted black mustache shivered over his lip as he shouted, "Hey, you little brat, what do you think you're doing?!" Heavily corded forearms reached out to grab at Luffy's shirt.

Luffy stared wide-eyed at the large hands, jaw working quickly on the food stuffed in his mouth, then he jerked out of reach of the grasping fingers and started running down the street, one arm shooting back to grab a fifth skewer before he went too far.

"Damn brat!" The man gave chase, his loping legs clearly not as muscular as his arms and shoulders. Ace and Sabo waited until he was several vendors down before they descended on the stall, grabbing skewers in each hand and tearing into them with abandon.

"What are you guys doing?!" Perona hissed, stomping closer, eyes darting between the stall and its red-faced owner as he chased Luffy back and forth across the street. Ace ripped into the seared boar meat and noted with satisfaction that Luffy was doing an excellent job of keeping the cook distracted.

"Don't just ignore me! What are you doing?!"

Ace rolled his eyes before he turned to shoot a glare at Perona, "What does it look like, butt munch? We're getting lunch!"

Law snorted behind her and a dark grin stretched across his face, his spotted hat bobbing as he ran forward to join. Perona was still gaping at Ace when Zoro followed Law with a wicked chuckle.

Perona's response was so automatic that she didn't realize how loud she was when she shouted with indignation, "_Zoro!_"

Unfortunately, it was loud enough that the stall owner heard her. He turned away from where Luffy had vanished into a rack of dresses, his face going from red to a panicked white as he looked back at his stall and yelled, "_Hey!_ What the _hell _do you kids think you're doing?!"

Sabo immediately leapt off the counter and started running back the way they had come, away from the man. Law ran after him, shooting Perona a dark smile as he passed and muttered, "I wouldn't stand still if I were you…"

Perona's jaw snapped shut and she spun to see the stall owner quickly approaching.

"_Get back here!_"

Black skirt swaying, she grimaced and turned to run after the other two, eyes wide.

Sabo glanced behind him, eyes flicking over Perona, Law—wait, where was everyone else?

He turned and started running backward, slowing slightly to let the other two pass him so he could get a better look down the street. Luffy shot around the stall owner and past the grill, hands flying out to grab three more skewers as he chased after Sabo.

Ace was still doing something behind the counter and Zoro was stuffing skewers between his teeth as well as his hands. Sabo held a hand by his mouth, careful not to let the juices from the meat drip on his clothes as he shouted, "Guys, what are you doing?! Hurry up!"

Luffy flew past him, following Law and Perona, his little brother's laughter making Sabo grin despite himself. He watched to make sure he was going in the right direction before he flicked his eyes to his other brother and then to the approaching stall owner, stomach tightening with a growing sense of urgency and feet slowing even further until he was barely shuffling backward.

Ace could fight just fine, he knew that. But they didn't need to start throwing people around in the middle of the street or the marines would get involved, which invariably meant the Old Man would get involved—and none of them wanted _that_. Relief flushed up his spine as Ace finally dashed from the stall and ran toward and past Sabo, hands wrapped around something bulky in his shirt. Sabo shared a grin with him and started to turn to follow, legs picking up speed again—

—But wait, they were still missing people, weren't they?

He stopped halfway through his turn and looked at the stall again, where Zoro was only just now running toward them. Sabo watched him for a moment, then nodded imperceptibly. The kid should be fast enough to outrun the vendor. The man had only just made it to the stall after all, and Zoro was already outstripping his pursuer.

But then Sabo ground to an abrupt halt as he realized Robin was right in the stall owner's path, standing between him and the retreating Zoro. What was she doing? The man was going to run right over—

The stall owner went down with a shout of surprise, his legs suddenly tied together. Sabo stared in disbelief at the many olive-skinned arms that were wrapped around his limbs. Robin laughed and danced a couple of steps back, the hem of her maroon dress swaying around her knees as the man tried to grab at her ankles. They were too far for Sabo to hear what he was saying, but whatever it was, it had Robin very deliberately stepping on his fingers before she spun on her heels and ran after them. She snagged Zoro by his collar as she caught up with him, dragging him after her as they came toward Sabo.

Robin reached out and grabbed Sabo's wrist, tugging just long enough to get him moving and then letting go as he started running beside her and Zoro. He felt himself grinning at her laughter, and then he found himself laughing as well as all seven of them raced down the street together.

* * *

Luffy chuckled happily as he tore into the rest of the food he'd grabbed, hot oil dripping between his flip-flops and onto the metal lid of the trash can he was crouched atop. Perona was panting beside him, one hand propped against the grimy concrete wall as she tried to catch her breath. She shot a glare up at Luffy, but merely grumbled, too out of breath to berate him or anyone else at the moment.

Law was standing apart from them, eating his meal meticulously, his white button-down and dark blue shorts amazingly free of any of the juices or oils dripping off the wooden skewers in his hands. Sabo noted curiously that Law didn't seem to be terribly out of breath, which seemed surprising given his adherence to books. But then again, Robin wasn't out of breath either, and she was more of a bookworm than even Law was. In fact, of them all, Perona was the only one who appeared tired. Sabo grinned to himself.

Curiouser and curiouser.

He reached out to Robin and handed her a skewer, "Do you have a Devil Fruit?"

Ace glanced up at that, but he was busy with whatever was tucked in his shirt and his gaze returned to it shortly. Robin took the skewer with a smile and said, "Yep. Hana Hana no mi." She waved her arm and multiple forearms sprouted from her elbow, making Sabo stare. She giggled at his reaction and the extra limbs disappeared in a burst of small pink flower petals as she started to dig into the meat in her hands.

Sabo opened his mouth to ask about the powers, but Perona suddenly snapped, "Wait, where's Zoro?!"

Sabo and Robin looked behind them and Sabo muttered, "… He was right behind us a moment ago?"

Perona made a weird high-pitched noise and grabbed at her wavy pink pigtails, "No, no, _no_! Ugh, he's _lost_!"

Law frowned, eyes sliding to watch her, but he didn't say anything. Ace snapped, "So what? He can find his way back on his own."

Perona stalked toward him and jabbed a finger into his red-shirted chest, surprising Ace enough that he didn't bother to smack her hand away. He stared at the finger in pure bafflement as she hissed, "No, he _can't_ find his way back, that's the _point_! Zoro has absolutely _no_ sense of direction!"

She turned away from him abruptly and stomped over to Sabo, trying to grab his wrist as she said, "You're the one who lost him, so help me find him!"

The blond danced away from her grip, brows creasing in confusion, "What? No. Go find him yourself. I didn't _lose_ him, he got lost on his own!"

Perona opened her mouth to keep arguing, but she turned to Robin as the dark-haired girl set a hand on her striped shoulder and gave her an amused smile, "I'll help you find him. Come on, I think I know where we saw him last." She turned Perona away, the younger girl nearly crying with relief, and Robin waved goodbye to Sabo with her now-bare skewer and grinned as the two girls left the alley.

Sabo sighed and turned to Ace, brow quirked as he pointed at the bulge in Ace's shirt and said around a bite of meat, "Wha's tha'?"

Ace gave him a wicked grin and shook his shirt out—

—and bundles of cash dropped to the ground.

Sabo stared, then tossed his half-finished skewer toward Luffy (who snatched it out of the air without even looking) and jogged to Ace's side. He crouched and grabbed one of the stacks, flipping the bills through his meat-juice-sticky fingers, "Damn, that guy makes bank. This has got to be what, fifty or sixty thousand berries?"

Law wandered over, tossing his empty wooden skewers to the ground, and scanned the pile quickly before saying, "Sixty-eight thousand two hundred and ninety-four."

Ace and Sabo both looked at him and he shrugged, "I count it for Doffy sometimes." He ran his eyes over the bills again and continued, "But if this guy is making this much, then he's not just selling food…" His gray eyes flicked up to Ace's, "Was there anything else you saw when you were rooting through his stuff?"

Ace's face twisted with unease, making his freckles stand out, and his eyes drew down to Sabo's as he said, "There were some weird-looking bags I thought might be drugs, but I don't know of any drugs that are purple."

Law frowned, "Did they look like purple marbles?" At Ace's wary nod, Law continued, his frown morphing into a grimace, "That sounds like Devil's Frenzy. Even Doffy refuses to deal that stuff. Says bad side effects make for bad business."

Ace and Sabo stared at him again and Sabo blurted, "Who _are_ you?"

Law blinked, eyes flicking between them both, his hands raising in front of him subconsciously, "What?"

Ace took a step toward him and Law matched it with a step back, but then he flinched as Luffy popped up next to him and said with a grin, "He's Tra-guy!"

Law's face twisted in confusion, "I'm _what_?"

Ace and Sabo traded a glance and Ace asked as he turned back to their little brother, "Yeah, what?"

Luffy turned to look at Law curiously, "Tra-guy! Sandman said your name was Tra-something."

Law blinked a few times and said with a baffled glare, "My name is Law. Trafalgar Law."

Luffy grinned and patted Law on the back, "Yeah, Tra-guy."

"My name is _Law_."

Sabo sighed and shook his head, "I'd give it up, Tra-guy." He returned Law's sudden glare with a wicked grin, "I can _promise _you're not going to win this fight."

Law scowled and Luffy chuckled, then squatted down by the money, hat dangling down his back as he reached to grab a stack and asked, "Are we going to take this to the stash?"

Ace slapped Luffy's hand away, earning a pout from his little brother, but he ignored it as he started scraping the money back up into his shirt. "Of course we are." He glanced up at Sabo, then shot a glare at Law, "But _he_ can't come."

Law scowled at him, but it slowly morphed into a smirk and he asked, "Yeah? And who's going to stop me?"

Ace glared at him, but after a moment a dark grin stretched across his face. "Yeah, we'll see about that." One hand holding the hem of his shirt against his chest, money cradled in the red cotton, he started jogging forward, Sabo falling in beside him as they headed back out of the alley. Luffy grinned and patted Law on the shoulder, but didn't say anything as he ran after his brothers.

Law scowled, but followed.

* * *

"ZORO! STOP!"

Zoro _didn't_ stop, but he _did_ turn his head to look behind him, mouth working on his second-to-last skewer. "Nng?"

His eyes widened and he felt his gait falter as a white, black, and pink blur shot toward him, and then his food went flying as his sister crashed into him and slammed him to the ground.

He spat dirt out of his mouth and rolled to lay on his back with a groan, "What the hell, Perona?" He lifted his head to glare at the pink hair cascading over his chest.

Perona sat up, black- and white-striped shirt smudged with dirt from the road and tears streaming from her eyes. Two small hands fisted in Zoro's green t-shirt and she shook him, "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS ABOUT YOU?! WHAT IF SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED?! WHAT WOULD I HAVE TOLD DAD?!"

Zoro scowled, though his eyes widened and his hands merely hovered around his sister's grip, her tears making him unsure even as he yelled back, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

There was a quiet chuckle from behind his sister and then he heard Robin's voice, "Perona-san, maybe you should let him get up."

Perona abruptly released her hold on his shirt and Zoro fell back, hissing as his head smacked against the road beneath him. He rubbed at it and stuck his other hand behind him to prop himself up as his sister climbed to her feet. He was pretty sure the knee she planted in his stomach while doing so wasn't on accident, but he merely peeked one eye open to glare at her and asked, "What the hell was all that for?"

Tears were still cascading down Perona's face, but her brows were drawn down in a frown and her fists were clenched at her side. She jabbed a finger toward him, stopping just before she touched his face, "You got lost! We had no idea where you went and you were all by yourself!"

He opened his mouth to continue, but Robin stepped between them and lay a hand on Perona's arm, a gentle smile on her face as she said, "Why don't we start heading back to the daycare? I think everyone has had a long day."

Perona grumbled, but crossed her arms and turned her back on the two, tapping the toe of her booted foot while she waited.

Zoro eyed the hand Robin extended to him, then ignored it and got to his feet on his own with a sigh. He grumbled under his breath about overbearing women as he dusted himself off, but he clamped his mouth shut when he heard his sister hiss at him.

Robin merely chuckled and gave him a few moments before she started heading in the same direction Zoro had been running.

He scowled.

See? He hadn't been lost.

* * *

"Where the _hell_ are we going?"

Ace tossed a smug smile behind him, "What, afraid you'll dirty your clothes, rich kid?"

Law merely glared at the back of Ace's head, Sabo snickering as he dropped off the other side of the wall. Clambering up the dumpster, Law eyed the stone behemoth in front of him. The wall easily stretched another ten feet up from where he stood on top of the dumpster. He watched Ace shimmy up the pipe on the building next to them and swing himself to the top of the wall, tossing another smug look at Law before he also hopped down the other side.

Law could hear Luffy scrambling up behind him and then the younger boy was running past him and leaping toward the wall, hands stretching out to latch onto the ledge. He bounced up and down for a moment with a giggle, then his arms started to contract as he lifted himself up the wall.

If he wasn't quick, they would definitely leave him behind, which was no doubt Ace's plan. Law scowled and crouched, getting ready to leap for the pipe Sabo and Ace had shimmied up. He started to run forward—

"There they are! That's them!"

—and came to a halt as a hand grabbed the back of his white button-down. He opened his mouth to curse but his eyes watered at the scent of sweat that flooded his nostrils as another hand slapped over the lower half of his face. He tried to bite him, but the guy had cupped his hand just enough to keep his fingers over Law's mouth yet out of the range of his teeth. Law's hands grabbed at the meaty wrist and he kicked his legs, but he hit nothing but air.

"Let him go!"

Luffy had dropped his grip from the wall and was now facing them, his arm swinging in a circle until he flung it forward. The punch missed the first guy, but Law could hear an 'oof' further behind him as Luffy's fist connected with something.

The man holding him scoffed, "Are you kidding me? Get over here, you dumbass."

More heavy footsteps, and then none other than stall owner lunged toward Luffy and snatched him up by his throat, holding him out at arm's length as Luffy struggled to get a breath. The muscles along his forearm flexed as he squeezed a little tighter. The man's pale face twisted into a scowl and he glared at Luffy, "You kids have caused a lot of trouble for the wrong people." He shook him as he asked, "Where's the money, brat?" He eyed Luffy, then flicked his eyes to quickly scan Law before he continued, "What have you done with it?"

Law glared and dug his fingers deep into the wrist in his grip, but the man merely hissed and shook him hard enough to make his head spin. Law felt his already-tenuous grip on the man's wrist loosening as the guy muttered, "Enough of that from you."

The man's attention turned to the stall owner and he said, "Let's go. It doesn't look like they have it on them, so they must've hidden it somewhere."

Law didn't like the grin he could hear in the man's voice as he continued, "It'll be much easier to get it out of them back at the warehouse."

There was a blossom of pain along Law's forehead as he was slammed against the dumpster and then he saw nothing but black.

* * *

Robin slowed, eyes lingering on the books behind the window they were passing. A couple of thick leather-bound tomes were propped open and she scanned the contents quickly, interest rising. These weren't the usual history books she was used to, but they looked like they were written in the format of a captain's log and she found herself wondering if they were legitimate or fiction.

Her eyes flicked to the side and she focused on the reflection in the window of the two behind her. Perona was pulling at Zoro's cheek, the green-haired boy merely scowling at her as she continued to berate him. Robin felt an amused smirk tug at her lips as she spun to face them and asked, "Perona, do you know how to get back from here?"

Perona paused and blinked as she faced Robin, Zoro rubbing his cheek as she finally let go. Pink hair swayed over her shoulders as she glanced up and down the street, a relieved smile growing slowly across her face. "Hey, yeah! This is the way dad brings us every day. It's the third right, down this way, isn't it?" She raised an arm to point, eyes turning back to catch Robin's nod.

"That's right. Would you two mind if I let you go on ahead of me?" She hooked a thumb over her shoulder, "I wanted to stop in here for a few minutes." At Perona's stare, Robin tilted her head curiously, "Oh, you can come in with me or wait outside, too, but I wasn't sure what you wanted to do…"

Perona's mouth popped into an 'o' and she reached a hand out to fist in Zoro's green t-shirt again as she started walking down the street, dragging her brother behind her and ignoring his protests. Grinning widely back at Robin, she said, "No worries, we can make it from here. We'll see you soon though, right?"

Robin smiled back and nodded her head, "Mhmm! I won't be long!"

She watched to make sure they were heading in the right direction before she turned and opened the store door.

* * *

"Let him go!"

Sabo and Ace both spun to face the wall they had just climbed over at the sound of Luffy's voice echoing over the top of it and bouncing between the buildings around them.

"Crap!" Sabo spun on his heel and ran back to the wall, leaping toward the brick beside it. Fingers and toes digging into the tiny crevices there, he spidered up the crumbling stone until he was able to hoist himself on top of the wall.

Just in time to see that pasty-faced vendor they'd stolen from darting around the corner of the building, Luffy in his grasp.

"Ace! They've got Luffy!" Sabo jumped off the wall and landed with a _thud_, rolling to bleed off the momentum.

"What?!"

He didn't bother to pause in his dash forward as he shouted behind him, "Hurry up!"

Coming around the corner, he clucked his tongue. He was too short to see over the crowd of people here, but there was a cafe on the other side of the street…

He ignored the surprised exclamations around him as he leapt onto one of the cafe tables and used it to launch himself onto the cloth overhang above the door. He held his hat against the breeze as he scanned the street—

—He raised his hand and pointed as Ace burst around the corner, "Ace, there! It's the stall guy!"

Ace started down the street and Sabo leapt down to keep pace with him. "They've got Law, too. I don't recognize the second guy though."

Ace scowled as he muttered, "Those damn idiots."

His fist clenched tighter where it was holding his shirt shut around the money and they ran, dodging around people when they could and darting between their legs or just knocking them over when they couldn't. They were leaving a trail of angry shouts behind them, but no one seemed to want to make good on the threats they were making because Sabo couldn't hear any sounds of pursuit. He had to resist the urge to shake his head. People were just a bunch of hot air.

They tried to keep up, but it was difficult to see when everyone and everything was taller than them, and it wasn't long before they realized they'd lost their quarry.

Sabo scowled and brushed fingers lightly over his brother's shoulder, steps slowing as he muttered, "Ace…"

Ace's steps slowed as well and he practically growled out, "What now?"

Sabo pushed his hat out of the way to scratch at his head for a moment, the gap letting some of the heat and sweat air out from underneath. He hummed thoughtfully as he looked around. They had already passed the vendor's stall but hadn't seen the guy there, so they had to have taken Luffy and Law somewhere else. Sabo hadn't recognized the other guy who had been with them either. He cursed to himself. Being in a new town sucked, he didn't know any of the major players or where their hideouts were.

Oh well, he'd have to remedy that later. Right now, though…

He pulled the brim of his hat back down, making sure it was secure on his head as he mused, "Well, I don't know who the other guy is or where they went just now, but…"

He flashed his brother a wicked grin from beneath the brim of his hat and said quietly, "All chickens eventually return to their roost, right?"

Ace stared at him for a moment, uncomprehending, and then he slowly grinned back, "Damn right, they do."

* * *

Robin pushed open the glass door and walked back into the Sandbox, bag of books in hand and a smile on her face. The front room was empty, the soft _thwump _of the lazy ceiling fan the only sound. Robin scanned the room and shrugged. Crocodile must be in the playroom with Perona and Zoro. He tended to split his time between rooms during the day if he didn't have anyone helping him. The bell on the door chimed as it thunked shut behind her and she started walking around the desk toward the heavy wooden door.

Which suddenly slammed open, swinging all the way to hit the wall behind it. Robin's steps halted and she tilted her head curiously.

Crocodile didn't look so good. There were streaks of sweat sliding down the sides of his face and she could see a crease worn in his cigar from where he was rolling it between his teeth in agitation. His eyes were scanning the room and then he seemed to jerk when he caught sight of her.

He hastened forward, black shoes clicking along the linoleum as he let out a sharp breath and said, "Robin! Where have you been?! Where is everyone?!"

She blinked up at him, "Crocodile-san? Perona-san and Zoro-kun should have already made it back…" She peeked around his legs at what she could see of the playroom in the back, but it was suspiciously quiet.

Crocodile crouched in front of her, bringing them eye to eye, deep voice strained as he asked, "Back? Back from where?"

Robin stared at him for a moment, then reached up to set her bag of books very deliberately on the single desk in the room, not taking her eyes off of his. Certain that her books were securely on the desk, she raised her hands to rest on Crocodile's satin shoulders and said very calmly, "It's alright, Crocodile-san, I'm sure they're fine."

He reached his hands forward to grip her shoulders in return, his hook surprisingly cool to the touch as he rested it gently over her small frame and asked with a wary edge in his voice, "Robin… Where is everyone?"

She sighed.

* * *

"Hey, dipshit!"

Ace waited until the guy turned toward him, his stupid pale face growing pink as he caught sight of who was shouting at him. Ace grinned and dropped his pants, slapping his cheeks as he hollered, "Come kiss my ass and maybe I'll give you your money back!"

He nearly crowed at the laughter that rung out around him as the man flushed a deep red and started loping forward.

"_You little shit!_"

Ace waited until the guy was only a few feet away before he hiked his pants back up around his waist and took off, dodging around people with ease. Even giving him that much leeway, Ace still had to slow down a couple of times to make sure he didn't lose the guy.

(How the hell had Luffy gotten caught by him? He was so slow!)

He made sure the guy could see him as he dashed into the same alley from earlier, jogging until he came to the towering brick wall of the building at the other end and spun to face the alley entrance.

The stall owner was standing there, a vicious grin on his face that made his stupid mustache look like a sad caterpiller, "I've got you cornered now, brat. There's no way out."

(Seriously? How dumb could the guy be?)

Ace fought to keep his face panicked as the man came forward. He had to bite his lip to keep from laughing as Sabo stepped silently after him, making faces at the man's back as he mimicked his strut.

Shit, he wasn't sure he could keep himself from laughing much longer. He clenched his fist, nails biting into his palm to calm himself before he raised his hand in a 'come here' motion. Even still, he couldn't keep the grin off his face as he said, "Come get it, asswipe!"

The stall owner lunged forward and Ace leapt over his grasping hands easily, then angled his feet to plant them in the small of the guy's back, knocking him flat. He sprawled along the ground, limbs splaying wildly, and it was quick work for him and Sabo to hogtie him with dresses they'd snatched while waiting for him to show up.

He struggled the whole time, of course, and then when Ace and Sabo were standing in front of him he sneered and started shouting.

"Help! Somebody, help me!"

Ace grinned and crouched, receiving a scowl as he flicked the guy on the forehead and said conversationally, "You know, if you don't stop screaming then I'm going to have to put one of these in your mouth to shut you up."

He flicked his wrist and there were suddenly three purple marbles in his hand, one wedged between each of his fingers as he held the back of his hand up to the man. His grin widened, "Or you know, maybe I'll use all three. The more, the merrier, right?"

The man's eyes widened and he licked his lips as he eyed the drugs, "You… You wouldn't." He flicked his beady eyes to Ace's and Ace was surprised by the depth of fear he saw there as the man muttered, "You know what that is, right?"

(Huh. Look at that. The new kid had been right. Maybe he wasn't so useless after all…)

Ace let his grin widen as Sabo crouched and said in his poshest noble's voice, "Not a clue, good sir." The man's eyes flicked to Sabo's face as the blond winked and whispered, "But, sir…" He reached out to pat the man's cheek gently, making him flinch nonetheless as he continued, "… We do know it's not _good_." He turned to look at Ace and raised a brow, "Should we find out just how not good it really is?"

The man started shaking his head, muttering, "Nononononoplease—

Ace grabbed the scant hair atop the man's head and turned him to face him again, drawing his eyes to the flashing purple drugs as he wiggled his fingers.

"If you don't want a bit of your own medicine, we suggest you tell us what we want to know." Fingers still fisted in his hair, Ace shook the man's head a bit as he leaned closer and whispered, "Nice and easy, you know?"

* * *

Robin patted Crocodile's forehead, "Over there, by the corner with the butcher shop." She bounced up and down on his shoulders as he jogged in the direction she had pointed, her view split all over the street and still scanning.

She heard his shouted "Zoro! Perona!" echo through several ears and concentrated on avoiding the vertigo this particular use of her powers often caused. She caught Perona's complaints about Zoro running off again and getting them lost, but ignored the rest of their conversation as best she could, brow furrowed as she focused on the streets around them.

Where were the others?

She sucked in a breath and both hands reflexively gripped Crocodile's hair. She felt his head turn up, "Robin?"

"I got a glimpse of Ace-kun and Sabo-kun, but I lost track of them and I don't know where they're going. But…" She paused, head tilting ever so slightly to the side, "But someone else is coming out of the same alley…?"

She crossed her arms and sprouted another ear, this time on the wall next to the alley.

"_Those damn kids! It'll serve them right when he kills them!"_

Robin frowned and placed her hands back on Crocodile's gelled hair, "It's the owner of the barbeque stall. I think he knows where they're going." She opened her eyes, dispelling all of her extra body parts, and leaned over to show Crocodile her frown, "He said someone is going to kill them."

She felt his back straighten and his shoulders tense, something dangerous lurking in his eyes as he growled, "Where?"

She raised a hand to point and said with a satisfied smile, "The stall is this way."

* * *

Sabo flicked his hand, motioning Ace forward. No one in sight yet, but if that vendor was telling the truth then they were at least getting close. He felt his brother slide into place behind him and Sabo darted around the stack of wood for the next one.

He heard a hissed, "Hey, Sabo."

Sabo glanced back, only to realize he couldn't see his brother. He hissed back, "Ace? Where'd you go?"

There was a very loud clanking sound and then Ace reappeared from behind the stack of wood Sabo had just left. He tossed something and Sabo reached out and caught it on instinct. The feel of cool metal in his hands made him grin as Ace spun his own metal pipe, walking forward, no longer hiding.

He gave his blond brother a mischievous smile, "Show time?"

Hell, with these? Sabo's grin turned hard.

"Let's teach them what happens when you mess with the ASL pirates."

* * *

"Hey you."

The man didn't even turn around, merely spitting out over his shoulder, "Can't you see I'm closing? I'm not serving food any more today. Go find somewhere else to eat."

He didn't have time for this.

He leaned over the counter and slid his hook around the man's throat, pulling to bend him backward over the cooling grill. The man struggled for a moment, back arching off the metal rack beneath him, hands flying to claw feebly at the hook, fingernails slipping off the metal. But then he caught Crocodile's eyes and stilled immediately.

"I—Wha—You—" Crocodile felt it under his hook when the man gulped, then whispered, "You're a warlord, aren't you? My… My sincerest apologies for my behavior a moment ago. What—What can I help you with?"

Crocodile's lip lifted in distaste and he exhaled heavily through his nose, cigar smoke bursting over the man's face and making him cough.

"The brats. Where are they?"

The man's gaze flicked up to where Robin was sitting on his shoulders, frowning down at him, and his eyes widened as he moaned, "Oh, no. Oh, shit, they're yours? I had no idea, I never would've—"

Crocodile pulled down, putting enough pressure on the man's throat that his words choked to a halt. "_Where are they?_"

The man opened his mouth and squeaked something out. Crocodile loosened his hold and the man rasped, "Six blocks down west—" he took a moment to cough, but Crocodile frowned at him and he stumbled on, "—shipbuilding warehouse—place is called Rough Waters Shipwrights—they're there—!"

Crocodile released the man and spun on his heel, "Zoro, Perona, let's go. Robin, do you see it?"

"Mhmm, it's close. It sounds like there's fighting, though."

Perona grabbed her brother's hand and trotted after Crocodile. She turned back to look at Zoro and, meeting her eyes, he gave her a wicked grin. They both looked back at the stall owner and stuck their tongues out at him before they vanished with Crocodile into the crowded street.

* * *

"Brats! Where are you?!"

Law glanced up, hand pausing, and called out, "… Sand-ya?"

"Law?"

Crocodile swept through the main warehouse doorway, tossing the man in his grip into the wall with a meaty _thump_. Law blinked, then went back to his drawing as he asked, "What are you doing here?"

Crocodile's loafers stopped just within Law's peripheral vision.

"I came to find you all… What are you doing?"

Law squinted, putting the finishing touches on his masterpiece before he stood and trotted to the next downed man and went to work. He'd gotten through the first seven already, but it was going to take him at least another fifteen minutes to get through all the other thugs in the warehouse. He eyed his next victim's face. Ace and Sabo had really done a number on it, but if he connected those bruises _just right_… He grinned and bent to his work, saying to the man hovering behind him, "Doffy does it to people he wants the Marines to pick up." He flashed a quick, dark grin back at Crocodile, "Cora-san thinks it's funny."

Robin chuckled and Crocodile sighed, "You seem to be fine. Where are—"

There was a tremendous shout from somewhere else in the warehouse and then they could hear Ace crowing, "Holy shit, this is a sweet haul!"

Law glanced over, but Crocodile just stood still for a moment and then sighed and muttered, "… Robin?"

Law turned back to the _very_ anatomically correct drawing he was putting on this man's forehead as Robin chuckled and said, "They're fine. It looks like they're looting."

Crocodile heaved a heavy sigh and Law lifted his head to watch the man walk back out of the warehouse as he raised a hand and said over his shoulder, "Zoro and Perona are still outside. We'll be waiting by the door when you kids are done."

* * *

"Hey, Ace, look at this!"

Ace glanced over at Sabo, but he couldn't see past his brother's top hat so he trotted closer, "What? What did you find?" He peeked over his shoulder and his eyes widened, "Is that…?"

"I wanna see!" Luffy grabbed Ace's shoulders and lifted himself enough to peer over his head, but he simply pouted and dropped back to the ground when he saw what it was. "Aww, that's it? It's just a Devil Fruit."

Sabo turned so that Ace could get a better look and he met his brother's eyes, "Yeah, it's a Devil Fruit… But which one is it?"

Ace didn't take his eyes from the fruit as he called, "Hey, rich kid!"

He heard a faint, "What?!" and grinned as he shouted back, "Come here!"

Grumbling preceded the other boy, but he eventually slunk around the corner with a glare and asked again, "_What?_"

Sabo held up the fruit, "Do you know which fruit this is?"

Law's mouth parted in surprise, but then he walked closer and frowned, considering the fruit for several moments before he finally said, "No. I'm sure I've got a book at home I could check, but I really only studied the fruits of the people I know."

Sabo traded a look with Ace as he drummed his fingers against the orange fruit, "Hmm. Well, I don't really want to be a hammer…" He lifted it toward his brother, "Do you want it?"

Ace stared at the fruit, reaching forward to take it from Sabo's hand. "I dunno… It's tough not knowing what it is. Could be a dud like Luffy's."

"Hey! Rubber isn't a dud! It's cool!"

Ace snorted, but didn't reply.

"If it's any consolation, the shape or markings sometimes hint at what it does." Law reached forward to trace the designs on it, "These look pretty cool."

Ace frowned as he watched Law's finger slide over the swirls, then he tossed the fruit in the air thoughtfully and shoved it in a bag when it came back down, "Let's store it with the stash for now."

Sabo nodded and continued shoving all the cash he could hold into the sack in his hands as he said, "Law, think you could check what fruit it is?"

Law blinked at his back, but then smiled and shrugged, "Sure."

* * *

Crocodile frowned. One, two… He squinted. "Where are the other two?"

Little Luffy's grin was blinding, "They went to hide the loot!"

He felt a tic starting in his forehead. He'd _had them_—"And where is that?"

Luffy suddenly pouted and crossed his arms, managing to say around the lip he was biting shut, "Man' mell! I's a fecwet!"

It took Crocodile a few solid seconds to parse that as 'can't tell, it's a secret'. He resisted the urge to bite into his cigar as he heard Robin's laugh above him, then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before saying, "_Fine_. Are they going to be coming back?"

Law shrugged and started walking down the street, muttering, "They'll probably come back for Luffy."

"Zoro!" Crocodile watched Luffy shoot off to the side to join the green-haired squirt and he said something that had the other boy laughing.

He flexed his hand as he stared at the kids, then shook his shoulders out and cracked his neck, careful not to knock Robin from her perch. He felt a light tap on the top of his head, "Crocodile-san, I think Law-san is heading back to the daycare. Should we go?"

Crocodile sighed again and got to his feet heavily.

* * *

"Law? What happened to your head?"

Law winced slightly as Doffy pulled his hat up to get a better look at the bruise forming on his forehead. "I hit it."

Doffy waited, but when Law didn't expand he frowned and hummed questioningly. Law was grateful Doffy was the one picking him up, though. He loved Cora-san more than he thought possible, especially since the man was a Marine, but Doffy didn't usually pester Law for more information if he wasn't already sharing it.

And he _never_ pushed when it came to how Law got injuries. Ever.

Instead, Doffy scratched at his temple above the wire of his sunglasses for a moment and then abruptly picked Law up and placed him on his shoulders. He let Law settle himself into the pink feathers as he started strolling home in the warm dusk, fingers tapping Law's shins in a comforting rhythm.

Law sat there for a few moments, hands stroking idly at the spiky blond hair in his grip. If he phrased it right…

Hands still stroking his hair, Law said quietly, "Doffy… I've got some information for Cora-san on a Devil's Frenzy den."

He waited, feeling Doffy's hands tense, though he was careful not to squeeze Law's legs. He knew the man had put it together.

Information and a bruise in the same day? Doffy wasn't stupid.

But then the tension bled from his fingers and he just chuckled tiredly. Law could hear the slight grin in his voice as he said, "Oh-ho, is that so? He'll be glad to hear that. They've been having a hell of a time with it lately."

Law felt a smile pulling at his lips. At least he'd taken care of _that_. "Cora-san should have a pretty easy time identifying them." He fished in his pocket for a second and then pulled his permanent marker out to hold it where Doffy could see it.

Doffy bought him ice cream on the way home.

* * *

"Crocodile! I'm here for my grandkids!"

Garp came to an abrupt halt at the very unexpected evil glare he received, hands fisting subconsciously as he snapped, "What?"

"You're late." Crocodile didn't take his eyes from the man as he opened his desk drawer and pulled out a packet of paper, then slammed the drawer shut. He slid the packet across the desk and jabbed it with a finger, "You are going to _sign this_ and then you are going to _pay me _for all the days I have watched them. And then—and _only then_—will you get your grandsons."

Garp grimaced and Crocodile continued with quiet menace, "_Do we understand each other?_"

The Marine grumbled something, but shuffled forward anyway and started flipping through the packet. He frowned at the paper and ground out, "Where do I sign? And do you have a pen?"

Crocodile tossed a pen on the page and pointed silently to a line at the bottom of the last page. Garp grumbled under his breath, but signed and tossed the pen back down on the desk as he growled, "Okay, now where are my grandkids?"

Crocodile merely held his hand out and glared at him expectantly.

Garp eyed the palm, then sighed and pulled out his wallet, slapping a wad of cash into those gold-ringed fingers. Crocodile flipped through the bills quickly, then put both the money and the packet in his coat pocket and stood. He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, "They're in the back. You can untie them yourself."

"Untie…?"

But Crocodile just walked around the desk and brushed past the Vice Admiral, "Yeah, untie. The door will lock behind you when you leave."

Garp watched him walk out of the daycare and into the deepening evening. He rubbed at his bearded chin and then suddenly grinned and started laughing as he walked to the back room.

"He's the first one not to quit!"


End file.
